EAST CANYON, Utah – Deer hunters are out in Utah’s back-country this weekend for the annual rifle deer hunt. Deer hunting season began in August, but this is the only week hunters can use rifles and other hunting weaponry.
Jonathan Moser with the Division of Wildlife Resources is monitoring the deer hunt in Morgan County this week.
"I'm just kind of going through the areas that I know there have been deer in the past," he said.
Moser is checking to make sure hunters have their licenses, tags and are not trespassing onto private property.
“[We] make sure they’re wearing their hunter orange,” he said. “A jacket and a hat, like a beanie or a baseball hat.”
Hunters in East Canyon were out looking for the perfect game.
“[We] started way early in the morning,” Andrew Talbot said.
“Oh yeah, we woke up at like 3:30,” his brother, Curtis Talbot, said.
They say they enjoy the thrill of the sport and looking at the beautiful scenery.
“It’s worth it when you get up here,” said the brother’s uncle Daniel Talbot. “You just kind of see the beauty and especially when the first light hits.”
The Hennessy family goes camping in East Canyon every year. They say it’s a family tradition and they enjoy spending time together.
“Brought up that way,” Kody Hennessy said.
Moser reminds hunters that while they should enjoy the sport, they should also exercise precaution and follow hunter safety rules.
“Make sure they know what their target is before they pull the trigger,” Moser said. “Because once they pull the trigger, they can’t ever call that shot back.”
The DWR asks anyone who sees hunters committing hunting violations to contact them on their hotline at 1-800-662-3337 or by dialing *3337. The DWR’s website has a hunting guide and other information at http://wildlife.utah.gov/.
